Best Picture

Everyone’s calling this one for La La Land, but I think it belongs to Moonlight. Moonlight, one of the biggest hits of the year among critics, made a huge splash even during its limited release. And, on a more cynical note, after the #oscarssowhite controversy of the last two years it would look good for the Academy to give the most coveted title of the year to a film about the black community of Miami.

Best Actor

The nominees: Casey Affleck for Manchester by the Sea, Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, Ryan Gosling for La La Land, Viggo Mortenson for Captain Fantastic, and Denzel Washington for Fences.

And the Oscar goes to…

Casey Affleck, despite the recent controversy over sexual assault allegations. He had one of the meatiest roles of the year and handled it well.

Best Actress

Despite the fact that Huppert and Portman more than deserve this award, Emma Stone will win it. She was fantastic in La La Land, but more importantly, the hype for that movie and that performance is too much for the Academy to give the award to anyone else.

This is a close one for me because La La Land and Moonlight both looked so beautiful, but I’m predicting this award will go to Damien Chazelle. After all, this is his second critically-acclaimed film after Whiplash, so it’s his time.

Best Animated Feature Film

The nominees: Kubo and the Two Strings, Moana, My Life as a Zucchini, The Red Turtle, Zootopia.

And the Oscar goes to…

If this were a fair competition this award would easily go to Kubo, but it isn’t. It’s the Oscars, and the movie that wins is usually the one the most people have seen. So I’m calling this one for Moana because of its beautiful visuals and fresh story.

Best Original Screenplay

The nominees: Taylor Sheridan for Hell or High Water, Damien Chazelle for La La Land, Yorgos Lanthimos for The Lobster, Kenneth Lonergan for Manchester by the Sea, Mike Mills for 20th Century Women.

And the Oscar goes to…

Sheridan’s Hell or High Water has by far the best screenplay out of all of these, and maybe I’m being optimistic by picking this underdog but I feel this is the only film here that deserves this.

Best Original Song

The nominees: “Audition (The Fools Who Dream)” from La La Land, “Can’t Stop the Feeling” from Trolls, “City of Stars” from La La Land, “The Empty Chair” from Jim: The James Foley Story, “How Far I’ll Go” from Moana.

And the Oscar goes to…

Let’s be real here. La La Land scored two nominations, so it’s going to be one of them, as sad as it will be to see Lin Manuel Miranda miss his chance to win an EGOT. “Audition” is the better song out of the two, so I’ll give it to that one.

Best Visual Effects

The nominees: Deepwater Horizon, Doctor Strange, The Jungle Book, Kubo and the Two Strings, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.